Poulan Pro 26hp lawn tractor engine troubles-brand new

[erichamilton]

I just got a brand new Poulan Pro lawn tractor with a Briggs 26 hp Intek and 54" deck. Trouble is, it runs extremely rough, coughs, and dies. This is on my first time using it. Took me a 1/2 hr. longer than with my smaller mower to mow since it was running so bad.

I don't weight much, but should be enough not to kill the engine by setting off the seat safety thing, but it does it more on rough ground. Does it too by pushing the pedal all the way to the floor and when backing up. Does it worse when the blades are activated. I don't think it is the reverse mowing cut-out thing...I have that set to mow in reverse.

The gas I put in it was fresh. Had a little less than a gallon in it, I think. Didn't seem like I had to put the full four gallons in the tank.

It's brand new and I took it straight out of the crate. I know I can take it back to the store, but that is a major pain and who knows when I'd ever see it again. Last thing took 6 months. Any ideas?

 

[john_bud]

The seat safety switch could be only loosely connected or it could be blocked partially by something. Check that first.

Check the ignition switch wiring. Could have a loose one there too.

Does it have a choke and is it operating correctly?

Are the spark plugs screwed in tight? Gapped right? Wires on tight?

You list adding only a gallon. Is it enough ? Did you fill the tank and it still does it? Is there a fuel shut off valve between the tank and carb? Is it open all the way?

Hope this helps a bit.

jb

 

[Soundguy]

Checkt he bowl drain on the carb.. see if it is getting any gas.

Soundguy

 

[erichamilton]

I weigh around 130 pounds, so regarding the seat switch, when I lean over to avoid a tree or hit a good bump (on any mower with a seat safety device), it starts to kill the mower. Is there any way to disconnect the plug and put a jumper between the two wires to make it think I'm in the seat?

I'll check the other things as best as I know how.

Just for clarification: I had to add about 3 gallons to fill a 4 gallon tank. All of the connections were checked and seem ok.

 

[Soundguy]

While you could defeat the operator presence switch.. how about trying to adjust it to be less sensitive instead.

Soundguy

 

[erichamilton]

I'll look into that. Ever taken one of the seats apart before?

 

[john_bud]

I'll look into that. Ever taken one of the seats apart before?

Not in a long time and not on a Poulan. I think they are just plunger switches accessable from the bottom when the seat is flipped over. They change this stuff so often to make it cheaper and cheaper and cheaper. Hard to keep up on it.

You could make a jumper and test if that fixes the issue. The switch should be normally open so shorting it would simulate you on the seat.

jb

 

[WVBill]

I had a similar situation with the Kawasaki VTwin engine on my brand new Country Clipper mower a couple of years ago. Did all the troubleshooting the guys have listed here but no improvement. Finally took it to an authorized Kawasaki engine dealer (place I bought the mower wasn't one) and found that model engine had a recall for faulty carbs. He replaced the carb in warranty and it's worked fine since.

Check with a Briggs dealer (the place you bought your lawn tractor may not be one) to see if there are any recalls or TSBs on your engine.

WVBill

 

[Soundguy]

I'll look into that. Ever taken one of the seats apart before?

I doubt you will have to take the seat apart. On all the mowers with op pres. switches I've seen in recent years, there either was a tab onthe bottom of the seat with a pin switch.. or the switch was in the chassie, and the seat had a rubber 'finger' that pressed the switch. In all cases, the metal plunger or tab was 'bend' adjustable.. or the switch mount was 'thread' adjustable to suit lighter or heavier operators.

Soundguy

 

[checkers]

Check the air filter. About a year ago a friend bought a new JD mower that ran poorly. He took it back to the dealer and found out that a large number of the engines were shipped from the factory with incorrect air filters installed.